Playoff dates released as playoff picture remains up in the air

Major League Soccer unveiled their playoff schedule on Thursday for the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs.

The playoffs will open with the Eastern and Western conference play-in games on October 30th and 31st, and will continue all the way until the MLS Cup Final on December 7th.

MLS has scheduled an extended break of almost two weeks between the first leg of the Conference Finals (Nov. 9-10) and the second leg of the Conference Finals (Nov. 23-24), to allow all players a chance to play for their country during the international fixtures scheduled in mid-November.

The Dynamo have multiple players that could be affected by the international break, as the United States crosses the pond to play Scotland and Honduras will face Brazil in Miami. Both Brad Davis (USA) and Boniek García (Honduras) have been involved in recent World Cup qualifiers for their respective national teams.

After the Conference Finals have been played, MLS will take another break to observe the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. All parties involved should be plenty rested before the MLS Cup Final.